Think Amazon Prime's two-day shipping is fast? Pssh, Amazon now wants to have your orders ready in just two minutes.

Instant Pickup is a free service for Prime and Prime Student members offering "a curated selection of daily essentials available for pickup in two minutes or less." Initially, the service will be very limited; it's only available at 22 staffed pickup locations in Los Angeles; Atlanta; Berkeley, Calif.; Columbus, Ohio; and College Park, Md.

Amazon said it will offer "hundreds of need-it-now items like food, cold drinks, personal care items, technology essentials, and Amazon devices like the Echo, Echo Dot, Fire TV and a selection of Fire tablets and Kindle e-readers" for Instant Pickup. Prime members can browse the selection via the Amazon app, place an order, and pick it up from a self-service locker within two minutes or less.

"As shopping behaviors continue to evolve, customers consistently tell us that they want items even faster," Amazon's Director of student programs Ripley MacDonald said in a statement. "Whether it's a snack on-the-go, replacing a lost phone charger in the middle of a hectic day or adding Alexa to your life with an Echo, Instant Pickup saves Prime members time."

Related

Meanwhile, if you recently purchased a pair of eclipse glasses on Amazon, you might have to hurry up and get a new pair, or just settle for watching next week's total solar eclipse on TV. That's because Amazon recently recalled some eclipse glasses, saying it can't confirm they will indeed offer the protection you need. The company is emailing customers about the recall, so if you recently purchased a pair on Amazon, check your inbox.

About the Author

Angela has been a PCMag reporter since January 2012. Prior to joining the team, she worked as a reporter for SC Magazine, covering everything related to hackers and computer security. Angela has also written for The Northern Valley Suburbanite in New Jersey, The Dominion Post in West Virginia, and the Uniontown-Herald Standard in Pennsylvania. She ... See Full Bio

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